Compressive shrinking and finishing blanket



Jan. 2,1951- z. J. CHAGNON 2,536,974

COMPRESSIVE SHRINKING AND FINISHING BLANKET Filed March 11, 1947 Fig. I.

v' Q A 9 20W 2 4 26' 26 27 2a Z9 AT TOE/VF) Patented Jan. 2, 1951GOMPRESSIVE? SHRINKINGE AND FINISHING BLANKET Zephir J. Chagnon, Delmar,N- Y.,. assignor to- Albany Felt Company, Albany, N. Y.", a corporationof New 'York Application-March 11, 1947, Serial No. 733,752

2" Claims. 1

My invention relates to mechanical fabrics, and

particularly to improvements in blankets for use on compressiveshrinking machines which preshrink fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk,rayon and the like, and also to improvements in finishing blankets whichare used for finishing similar fabrics. Blankets of this character aresimilar, and may be identical, in structure, and since they must befulled, it has heretofore been the practice, so far as I am aware, toweave the same from all wool yarns. While various weaves may beemployed, the shrinking action, and also the finishing action when theblanket is used for that purpose, is due largely, if not entirely, tothe action of the surface of the blanket on the material being shrunk orfinished and, since, in either application, there should be a uniform,continuous contact between the blanket and the material being processed,it is quite essential that the surface of the blanket be substantiallysmooth, For this reason, the filler yarns, which form substantially theentire surface of the blanket, are comparatively fine, while the warpyarns, which must be capable of sustaining substantial tension withoutstretching, are very coarse, usually in the form of cables which liestraight or substantially straight, and which are entirely buried in theblanket by the filler yarns.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a diagrammatic, one repeat of one a type ofweave which may be employed in fabricating either a shrinking or afinishing blanket. It represents from top to bottom ten transverse crosssections, numbered from I to ill, of the fabric taken between adjacentfiller yarns, numbered from H to 20, and cutting ten warp cablesnumbered from 2! to 30.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of a warp cable formed from separatestrands 3|.

From Fig. 1 it will be apparent that in section I of Fig. 1, the filleryarn H passes under three warp cables, 22, 23 and 24; thence over twowarp cables 25 and 26; and thence under three warp cables 21, 28 and 29.In section 2, filler yarn I2, passes over three warp cables, 2|, 22 and23; thence under two warp cables, 24 and 25; and thence over three, warpcables, 26, 21 and 28. Thus, it adjacent-sections, the filler yarns passover two Warp cables and under three in one section, and under two andover three warp cables in the next section. It is to be understood thatthe section (not shown) next following section l0 would be the same assection I.

In operation blankets of this type are subjected to heat, moisture andabrasion, and wool is not particularly resistant to the disintegratinginfluences of any of these factors.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide animproved type of compressive shrinking or finishing blanket which willhave a very substantially increased resistance to heat, moisture andabrasion and hence will be endowed with a substantially longer operatinglife than the all wool blankets now in use.

I accomplish this object by forming the filler yarns partially of woolfibers and partially of fibers of a synthetic linear polymer, preferablya synthetic linear polyamide, such as nylon having a protein-likestructure, and which said synthetic fibers are exposed, at least inpart, on the surfaces of the filler yarns. Such synthetic fibers may beobtained by the polymerization of diamines with dibasic acids or theiramide-forming derivatives, or of amino acids, or a mixture ofbifunctional compounds containing complementary amideforming groups suchthat appreciable numbers of amide linkages are produced in the molecularchain in the polymer formed. Synthetic fibers of this character aresubstantially more resistant to the disintegrating efiects of heat,moisture and abrasion than are fibers of wool, and, since, in myblanket, they are exposed on the surfaces of the filler yarns and thefiller yarns are exposed on the surfaces of the blanket, the syntheticfibers also are exposed on the surfaces of the blanket, thus endowing itwith substantially enhanced resistance to abrasion as well as increasingits resistance to heat and moisture.

The quantity of synthetic fibers which may be used varies over quite awide range; the minimum quantity being that which will efiect anappreciable extension of the life of the blanket; and the maximumquantity being less than that which will prevent appreciable fulling,because fabrics formed entirely from such synthetic fibers cannot befulled, and sufficient wool must be present in every case to provide forthe degree of fulling desired.

I find that by incorporating in the filler yarns synthetic fibers of theabove type in a quantity as little as about 5% of the total weight ofthe blanket the beneficial effects thereof begin to be noticeable; andthat the blankets may be fulled to an appreciable degree even when thesynthetic fibers are present in a quantity approximating as much asabout 70% by weight of the blanket.

What I claim is- 1. A blanket of the group consisting of the com- 7pressive shrinking and finishing blankets com prising an endless wovenand fulled fabric havin subsbtantially straight, comparatively coarsewarp cables of high tensile strength, and comparatively fine filleryarns forming substantially the entire exposed surface of said blanket,at least on one side thereof; said filler yarns being formed of woolfibers and a substantial quantity, but less than that which will preventappreciable fulling of said blanket, of nylon fibers which are exposed,at least in part, on the surface of said filler yarns and the surface ofsaid blanket; whereby the resistance of said blanket to thedistintegrating effects of heat, moisture, and abrasion is substantiallyenhanced.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which the nylon fibersconstitute from about 5% to about 70%, by weight, of the blanket.

ZEPHIR J. CHAGNON.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,031,013 Standish Feb. 18, 19362,109,223 Schmidt Feb. 22, 1938 2,130,948 Carothers Sept. 20, 19382,197,896 Miles Apr. 23, 1940 2,252,554 Carothers Aug. 12, 19412,423,827 Chagnon July 15, 1947 2,423,828 Chagnon July 15, 19472,444,903 Van Buren July 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date17,620 Great Britain of 1902 233,784 Germany Apr. 20, 1911 398,577 GreatBritain Sept. 21, 1933

